world And al the peace-makers in the earth are not able to sette these two at one the loue of God the loue of the world For Christ hath spoken it If you loue the world the loue of God cannot be in you You see the truth then of this conclusion not that we loued God but that God loued vs and sent his Sonne Heere the Apostle sheweth the particularitie of the loue which all this while hee suspended Heerein is that loue manifested in sending his sonne c. There was no good thing in vs at all no mirit or desert that might moue GOD to giue vs his Sonne It was his loue onely and the good pleasure of his wil as the Apostle speaketh to the Ephesians in the first chapter Our aduersaries ought to blush if Christian modestie did rest vpon them vvhen they read this text in Iohns Epistle that other in his gospel since they denie that truth which is is both places elswhere so strongly maintained They would perswade men by their doctrine of merit that this loue of God is but a matter of course as if God were bounde to loue vs and that we can deserue at gods hands to be so loued Yea they say we may doe good works of Supererogation more then God requireth Wee neede not farre fet Scriptures to aunswere such One Text of many shal suffise this now in handling God loued vs first and not we him Nay he loued vs when we hated him and fell from him by wilful transgression As soone as Adam had sinned GOD in this his loue salued him with the promise of Christ the seede of the vvoman breaking the Serpents head This loue of God was vniuersall it extended to all men of all sorts Iewes and Gentiles circumcised and vncircumcised bond and free beleeuers and vnbeleeuers In thy seede shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed All might haue taken hold of this blessing as freely as Adam might stretch his hand to all the trees of the garden saue the tree of knowledge God would haue all men to bee saued and therefore Christ was offred to all but in that all bee not saued the fault is theyrs that will not pertake of this blessing The death of Christ was sufficient for al but it was not effectuall for all it was effectuall onely for the beleeuers And therfore saith this same Iohn in the 3. Chap. of his Gospel That so many as beleeued on him should not perrish All were bidden to the marriage of the Kings Sonne yet all did not come nay they who were first bidden came not at all So the fault was theirs that refused being so solemnly inuited In like manner all are not saued that are called to partake of this loue of God vniuersally made knowne to the whole world in Christ who would haue all men to be saued Onely the beleeuers haue this prerogatiue For many are called but few are chosen And sent his sonne to be a reconciliation Infinite are the testimonies of Gods loue towards vs as Paule said O how vnsearchable are thy iudgements O Lord and thy waies past finding out So may wee say ô howe deepe is thy loue ô Lord towards vs how vnsearchable past finding out no bucket of mans vnderstanding is able to sound the bottome of this bottomlesse fountaine Thy loue was manifested first in giuing vs a Being when before wee were not in committing to vs the gouernment of this mossie vvorlde and the creatures therein making vs for dignitie but a little infeâ—iour to the Angelles pouring vppon vs all temporall blessings For all thinges that euer vvere or are for our sakes they vvere and are created all for the ministerie of manâ— all to serue man and man to serue GOD. This tesâ—â—sâ—â—th the aboundant loue of our Creatoar but more then can be most is this exceeding testimonie of his loue in sending his Sonne his onelie begotten Sonne Christ Iesus into the world for our redemption The worke of the sixe daies Creating of the worlde is nothing to the worke of the redemption of the world Which made Saint Iohn exclaine with a speciall kinde of admiration So God loued the world that he gaue c. And againe in this place Heerein is loue in that God â—ent his sâ—nne to be a reconciliation Hee spared not his onely sonne but gaue him for vs all to death Neuer was there a time since man began to be vpon the earth sitter for the learning and practising of this heauenly lesson than now for these are the worst and last times wherein the sinns of men are growne ripe for the sickle of Gods wrath and men drinke vp iniquity like water Men are so frozen in their dreggs and the world with the lustes thereof â—ath so captiued them that they can sinde no leasure at all to enter into this carefull consideration of Gods loue You knowe the parable of the excusers in the gospel One had bought a Farme another had bought a yoake oâ— Oxen the third had married a wiâ—e So is it in this declyning age of the vvorld some are so intangled and wholely prepossest with tâ—e cares of this lyfe others agayne so solde to carnality and lycensiousnes as if they had bound themselues apprenâ—zes to the deuil to serue in the stauery of sinne And a thirde sort so irreligiously carelesse and voyde of all seeling that they can finde no svveetenesse no comfort no tast in GODS worde farie wide of Dauids affection it vvas in his mouth sweeter than the honey-combe but to these menne it is more bitter than vvormewood They thinke euery moment of time too long which is bestowed in Gods seruice Onely they come to the Temple of God for fashions sake and as it were by compulsion like a Beare to a stake drawne by violence as soone as they are in the church they couet to be out of the Church far vnlike those Lampes in the Sanctuary which were alwayes burning And so by one meanes or other fewe or none can thinke vpon the loue of God All such are heere pinched by the elbow and are wakened with the alarum that S. Iohn heere soundeth Heerein is loue c. And sent his Sonne In the 3. Chap. of his Gospel hee sayth He gaue his Sonne all is one God giues and sendes his Sonne Christ vnto vs and yet the Papistes will keepe him from vs vnlesse wee will buy him at their hands God doth giue his Sonne freely and the Sonne offers him selfe freely and yet the Pope wil sell him Hoe euery one that is thirstie come to the Esa 50. waters and you that haue no mony come The Popes proclamation runnes in another tenor Hoe saith hee you that haue mony come and buy out your sinnes you shall haue Bulls and pardons and indulgences and dispensations and priuiledges to sinne while you liue These are strong delusions sweete allurements and able to entiâ—e all the Marchants of the earth to this so great a Mart.
in this historicall discourse of Christ his trauailing to Ierusalem is thys Hee prooueth that in this place which indeede is the scope and drift of the vvhole Booke viz. to cleere to the world but especially to the vnbeleeuing Iewes that Christ is the only Messias or Sauiour proued so by his birth his life death liuing dying rising and ascending As Iohn the Baptist poynted at Christ the Lambe of GOD purging the sinnes of the world so heere Saint Luke poynts at Christ vveeping for the sinnes of the world When the people of Ierusalem laughed Christ wept as when the Ministrell played Elisha prophecied and therefore this Cittie otherwise famous but in this infamous 2. Reg 3. 15 worthily ranne to ruine and so receiued a true and due recompence for her securitie And when he drew neere the Cutie hee beheld it and wept for it The Schoole-men do note many things in Christ appertaining to saluation Prudentiam in eius doctrina Wisedome in his doctrine Temperantiam in eius vita Temperance in his life Fortitudinem in eius tortura Fortitude in sustaining torments Diuinum numen in miraculis Diuine power in his works Consolationem in dictis Consolation in his words and in this place Compassionem in eius tristitia compassion in his sorrowfulnes for he wept vpon Ierusalem Hee wept To teach vs to weepe and to haue compassion in beholding the lamentable state and condition of our neighbours We must weepe for them as Christ wept for the Iewes and withall hee teacheth vs to weepe for our selues as hee bad the daughters of Ierusalem to weepe for themselues To drawe yet a little neerer to the embowelling of these words for a cleerer narration obserue with me these foure things 1. The person who came that was Christ 2. The place whether he came to Ierusalem 3. The action or rather you may terme it a passion hee wept 4. His admonition in reprehending theyr ignorance and fore-telling theyr fall Now then that wee haue founde out the Myne let vs digge for the treasure The person who came to Ierusalem was Christ And the Scripture doth manifestlie declare how great he was for he was God The Father and I are one Ioh. 10. How humble he was for he was the Sauiour of the worlde His humilitie appeared in taking our nature vpon him Being God it pleased him to become man and to dwell with men hee withdrew himselfe from none no not from the Publicans and sinners That Iesus who was Contempte Mundi a hater of this worlde one that nothing esteemed the pompe and glory thereof for when the Tempter presented before him at one viewe all the kingdoms of the earth Math. 4. Tempter and temptation were both driuen to retire One powerfull worde of Christ quite vanquisht him as Dauid ouercame Golias with one stone when it perced into his temples That Iesus who refused all worldly superioritie and power for when in the sixt of Iohn they woulde haue made him theyr King he conueyed himselfe out of the way Who was mercifull for he forgaue the woman taken in adultery Who was powerful for his words made the souldiours giue backe when they came to take him As in the 4. of Mathewe his worde made the prince of darknesse giue backe when he came to tempt him Who was pittifull this place proueth it He wept That Christ who is called Vera lux the true light for the saued to walke in The Iohn 1 5 Reu 22 16 bright Morning star The flower of lesse The mighty Lyon of the trybe of Iudah The Author and finisher of our fayth That Christ to whō that excellent voyce of glory once sounded from the heauens This is my well beloued sonne in whom I am Luke 3 22 well pleased Hee who was promised by the Father figured in the Lawe spoken of by the Prophets poynted at by Iohn Baptist manifested in the flesh iustified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached to the Gentiles 1. Tim. 3. 16. beleeued on in the world and receiued vp in glory This Christ came to Ierusalem So much briefely is spoken for the person now for the place The place whether Christ came was Ierusalem the Metropolis or chiefe Citty in all Asia by interpretation A vision of peace Yet this people knevve not their peace God had stampt a remembrance of his blessings in the very name of Ierusalem yet could not this people cōsider of it they made no vse of this peace which God had giuen them This Citty had in it many faults in Christes time For first they knewe not theyr peace Secondly they prophaned the Temple of God making it a denne of theeues and a shop of Merchants where it should haue beene the house of prayer Thirdly in it were the Prophets slaine Fourthly it fostered within it the greatest enemies of the Crosse of Christ Fiftly beeing the Citty of the great King it was allotted to destroy the great King Christ Iesus the King of glory This Citty so polluted Christ comes to visite As once God the Father said Come let vs goe downe and visit Babel so heere Christ Gene 11 7 the Sonne sayth to his Apostles Come let vs goe visite Ierusalem In which his comming to Ierusalem we see it first noted by the Euangelist he drew neere the Citty for beeing a Prophet hee would doe as did the Prophets Samuell came neere to Israell Ionas came to visite Niniuie and Christ came heere to visit Ierusalem Hee drew neere to it Hauing first trauailed to Iericho and after to Beth-phage and then to Bethany at last he comes to Ierusalem Wherein wee are to note the great dilligence of Christ to verifie his former words I came to seeke and to saue that which was lost He neuer ceased to doe the will of his Father Beeing but twelue yeeres old he taught in the Temple and disputed vvith the Doctors hearing them apposing them Luke 2 46 We should be armed with like industrious diligence The chyldren of God are euer noted to be eyther going or walking or running Peter during the time of his fall is noted sitting to shew his carefulnes but so soone as hee felt the soule-stirring motions of Gods Spirit calling him to repentance hee Luk. 22. 62. sits no longer but goeth out The Israelites are recorded to be alwaies Num. 33. trauailing and remouing till they came to Canaan Moses so soone as hee was borne was Exod. 2. 3. cast out among the flagges from thence he was brought to the Kings Court in Egypt After that he was driuen to she to Midian and from Mydian backe againe to Egypt And after all this what long and tedious trauels did hee vndergoe in that long iourney to Canaan Wherein is rightly typed the state of euery religious Christian mans life Our life heere is but a pilgrimage a vanishing vapour that suddainly is lost while a man lookes vpon it and therefore holie men must learne of Moses and of Christ
world to bee borne for vs and heere Saint Iohn in his Epistle commends vnto vs the like loue of God in sending his sonne into the world to die for vs. Iohn was hee of the Apostles who alone with a speciall appellation is termed the disciple of the Lord and the disciple whom Iesus loued whom our Lorde also seemed to carry as it were in his owne bosome Christ his Lorde for louing him must needes drawe like loue and like affection from him towards Christ And to expresse thys loue as if hee were wholy compounded of loue thys beloued Disciple soundeth nothing else almost throughout his Epistle but thys loue vvee speake of The loue of GOD towardes vs our loue againe towards God Gods loue first and ours after all is loue And therefore thys Text may well bee called The Louers Canticle For the Apostle begins the Text with loue and continues and endes the same with loue making loue as it were the burden of his song Heere-in is loue in that GOD loued vs and sent his sonne to reconcile vs Beloued if God so loued vs wee ought also to loue one anâ—ther All you that haue beene foolishly deuoted to fond loue that haue ill spent manie good howres in powring out your passionate complaynts in a vaine vaine of humorous conceytednesse haue taken great paynes to penne loues Poems idle toyes of adle-heads hence-foorth suspende both penne and poeme cast them from you as the Israelites hanged theyr harpes vpon the willowes Tyme that tryeth all thinges and is the mother of Truth can well assuâ—e you with infallible demonstrations that such lasciuious loue or rather such lawlesse lust vvill but leade you to vanitie and vanitie vvill seale vp iniquitie And so beeing bereaued of all grace and godlinesse you become in a moment vtterlie irreligious If you must and vvill needes loue if you haue made it your profession to bee amorous heere is loue euen that true loue that other to this is but an Idoll like Dagon to the Arke this loue how simply tyred sâ—euer is able to drawe all haâ—ts-con-ceits In eternizing her praises if so bee you make her the Mistres of your affections you shall sinde matter enough to vvorke vpon This loue calls vppon you as the cheefe commaunder of all your actions and the onely supreme Soueraigne vnto vvhich your tongues and pennes shoulde sacrifice theyr well-bestowed labours Heerein is loue c. VVhere-vnto shall I liken this loue of GOD This holy loue is like a golden chaine that by an inseparable vnion linketh together God and vs like Dauid aad Ionathan yoaked together by an inuiolable leagne of amitie VVhere-vnto againe may I liken thys loue It is like to Iacobs ladder which reached from the earth to the heauens on the Gene 28. which were Angels descending and ascending God himselfe slanding aboue vppon the top of it Yet once more to what shall I liken this loue or where-vnto may it bee compared It is like to the golden Censer in the hande of the Angell before the Altar which Censer was full of sweete odours the smoake whereof did ascend vp before God out of the Angels hand And it was a sweete sauour in Gods nosâ—rils for God accepted it so wee reade in the 8. of the Renel Now iâ— we will bee accepted with God we must vse this incense Loue must be the golden Censer of vvellsmelling odours to bee carried vp to the Lord and to be presented beâ—ore the Altar and before the throane by the ministery of the Angell that is Christ the holiest of all holies who alone shall be accepted for vs for that he alone hath reconciled vs. Iacobs ladder reached vp to heauen and this must be our ladder if we will learn like the Angels to ascend vp where God is A chaine consists of many linkes and all are fastned in so sure one in another that they cannot be sundred or deuided and he that drawes but the one linke drawes vnto him all the whole chaine Thys chavne is loue and we must of necessity be possest of this chayne if wee will haue to doe vvith god For God is not but where is vnitie this chayne is vnitie for vvhat is a chayne but many linkes in one First one link then another then a third to that and after that another and so the chayne is perfited Nay there is such a mutuall relation betweene GOD and vs if thys loue bee in vs whereof wee speake that wee can in no sort separate the one from the other no not in intellectu not so much as in conceit as the Schoole-men terme it The Apostle Saint Iohn proouing the same where he sayth GOD is loue and hee that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God God in him c. Thys loue is two-sold consisting of two parts The loue of God towards vs and our loue to one another VVee ought first to consider of Gods loue and then to descend to our selues making a patterne first of his loue towards vs and out of it to frame a like loue in our selues one to another God goeth before vs in the example of thys loue and we must follow after as neere as wee can in practizing the like loue among our selues Heerein is loue The principall proposition handled by the Apostle in thys place is the generall doctrine of Christ who was sent foorth from the bosome of his Father vnto the vvorld to reconcile vs by the vertue of his death which doctrine is grounded vppon these arguments for strength like a brazen vvall against which sathan and the power of hell cannot preuaile The first argument is drawne from the mercie or loue of God in these vvordes Heerein is loue The second from his will beeing a speciall effect of his loue in these words And sent his sonne c. Many properties and attributes are in GOD vvhich it behooueth vs especially to take notice of First hee is omnipotent prooued by his Creation Wise by his daily gubernation Iust in his promises Mercifull for hee spareth sinners Louing to all for hee calleth all and is carefull for all But specially for the elect who do heare when he calleth His lone is heere iustified for that hee sent his sonne to the world that so many as beleeued might haue life euerlasting The fountaine of all graces is loue which drewe from him a greater worke then the Creation of the world euen the vvork of our Redemption a matter of so great mysterie that it caused all the Prophets from Adam the sonne of God to Iohn Baptist the sonne of Zacharie in all times and ages to speake and write of this superabundant grace and rich good will long before the foundations of the world determined but in the fulnesse of time reuealed vnto vs by the comming of his Sonne by whom wee â—â—he 1. 7. haue redemption through his blood euen the forgiuenes of our sinnes according to his rich grace This exceeding loue of GOD beeing deepely
Dauid Awake vp Lute and Harpe awake vp my glory I my selfe will awake right early If Dauid daunced before the Ark which was but a testimony a signe of gods presence how would Dauid haue daunced skypt and trypt it if he had liued to see his Lord walking vppon the earth as his Apostles did What should I more say surely this is all I can say if this loue of Christ this true reioycing were planted in you you would carry lesse loue to the world then you do Neyther the loue of riches nor the loue of honour nor the loue of long life no wealth no friendes no treasure shoulde weare it the gayning of tenne thousande worlds should not be able to draw vs from Christ Symeon was wearie of the world vvhen once hee had founde Christ Nowe let mee die saith he As if he should say Now haue I had the fruition of the greatest blessing a greater treasure then this the worlde cannot afford me For mine eyes haue seene my saluation And so haue our eyes seene the same saluation wee should therefore loue the world no more than Simeon did I count all things but losse saith Paul in respect Philip. 3. of the excellent knowledge of my Lorde yea very dâ—ng c. And in the eyght to the Romaines hee concludeth with a sweete protestation saying Neyther death nor life nor Angells nor Principalâ—ties nor height nor depth nor things Rom. 8. Present nor thinges to come nor any creature shall be able to separate mee from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Oh that now among vs might be found some such like Simeon or like Paul or like Dauid in his Psalmes and elswhere euer sending foorth plentifull testimonies of his reioycing in Christ Let vs reioyce This reioycing is not a matter so soone practized as many conceiue it to be Euerie man will be ready to say wee doe reioyce and wee are right glad of thys day of the Lorde And as a signe of our reioycing wee are willing to celebrate not thys day onely but euen this whole feast in remembrance of our Lord. And to this purpose wee deck our houses and our streetes our Temples vvith boughes like them that strewed branches in the way where Christ should come and crying Hosanna before him as hee rid to lerusalem And we with mouth and hart are readie to cry Hosanna in like sort Blessed is he that commeth is the name of the Lord. All this beloued wee may doe and yet come short of the true â—eioycing It is not in euery man power to reioyce and therefore Dauid saith Blessed are the people that can 〈…〉 And to shewe who they are that can so reioyce it is added They 〈…〉 the light of thy couâ—â—◠〈…〉 Psalm 88. continually in thy Nâ—â—◠〈…〉 nesse shall they exalt them-seâ—ues Their hearts are euer indyting good matters and theyr tongues are as the pennes of readie Writers freely and cheerefully to tell out the goodnes of the Lord. They wil not hide the mercies of the lord from theyr children yea to the generation to come will they shewe the prayses of the Lord and the wonderfull acts that he hath doone Hence we may learne the manner of true reioycing Wee should be euer meditating vpon the Lords mercies and wee shoulde publish them to our chyldren If it vvere possible we should make it knowne to the whole world what God hath done for our soules This should bee our continuall exercise not for a day or a month or a yeere but for euer Infinitely happy were wee if we could thus reioyce But alas our reioycing is in euill wee reioyce not in Christ or if we doe reioyce it is but an interim a starting ioy a temporarie and a â—leeting ioy of no continuance like a buble on the water which dies while it swells As long as my Text runnes or vvhyle you are in the Church and do heare Christ spoken of you remember him and â—ou can breathe out a short thanks-giuing like a Schollers grace but no sooner shall you get home to your houses and a fayre payre of cardes or tables throwne vpon the table but all is forgotten the price of our Redemption forgotten yea Christ himselfe forgotten so dooth a little vanitie like a dampe soone extinguish all the lights of godlines I knowe you would be loath to bee thus censured doe but aske your selues your consciences and they shall tell you whether I misdeeme or not Your comming hether nowe I commend the simplest that sits among vs in Gods house will seeme to present himselfe before the Lorde as a sacrifice of thanksgiuing for this great benefit in Christ begun to be wrought as vppon this day the ioyfull day of Christes incarnation But thou must know that God requireth no temporary but a continuall sacrifycing of thy selfe a daily presenting of thy Christian duties VVhat is become of you or where are you bestowed all the yere after The Church is now ful but a few Sabbaths hence scarce the fourth person wil be found in this place Heere one and there one like the after-gleaning in the vintage What doth this argue but that wee celebrate this feast rather for custome than for conscience Thys is called a time of feasting and a time of reioycing and a tyme of merrie-making and so it ought to bee so it bee doone in the Lord. But wee greatly prophane the same in bestowing it wholy vpon our lusts in ryoting reuelling and roysting in dycing and carding and in pampering vp our bodies too much with the supersâ—uities of Gods creatures All such reioycing is euill You seemed once thys day as Lampes burning in the Sanctuary and novve you seeme to haue neyther oyle nor light at all Nowe no Lampes but lumpes of sinfulnesse and the sencelesâ—e earth groneth vnder the massy weight of such a burden If the prophane Iewes should come into your houses and to your Taueâ—â—es and there looke vpon your disorders Finding you not trauâ—â—sing the Scriptures nor reading the lawe and the Prophers nay all of you otherwise exercised wholy deuoted to sinsul vanitie some at cardes some at dice swearing and forswearing c. Others carowsing and quâ—â—â—ing powring in wine strong drinke without measure as if theyr â—odies were giuen them to no other purpose And hee is the iolliest fellowe that can drink his companion vnder the boord As if they meant to make themselues famous in this as the Sâ—ythians thought to make themselues famous in another respect Among them hee was reputed the brauest Gentleman that had committed the bloodiest sâ—aughter Such forget Esayes woe in the thirde of his prophecie 11. 12. 14. verses Therâ—ore hath hell inlarged it selfe and hath opened his mouth without measure O that this one sentence of terrour were ingrauen in the tables of our hearts or inrolled in lead or in stone for euer This one sentence of the seuerity of gods iustice against such would make vs